Our Hospice Charity

St Benedict’s Hospice is run by the NHS, but the National Health Service can’t finance every activity at the hospice. That’s where the St Benedict’s Hospice charity comes in – to help us deliver the level of support our patients need.

We raise over £1 million a year through the charity, which funds a range of essential activities including:

• Our patient transport service, which includes vehicle and staff funding
• Counselling services for our patients’ loved ones, including children’s and adult bereavement counselling options
• Therapy treatments for our patients, such as art psychotherapy, occupational therapy, complementary therapy and medical consultant sessions
• Non-clinical administration support
• Training and specialist education support for our staff
• Specialist and generalist equipment that creates a comforting environment for patients.

We’re proud that St Benedict’s Hospice was recognised as the first hospice in the North East, beginning informally at Havelock Hospital (Sunderland) in 1980. It was aptly named after Benedict Biscop, who in 674AD founded a hospice and monastery on the banks of the River Wear. In its place today is St Peter’s Church.

The St Benedict’s Hospice charity was started in 1993 to provide important additional funds to our services, before the hospice was moved to Monkwearmouth Hospital in 1994. Finally, in 2013, we got our purpose-build, dedicated residence in Ryhope. We’re proud of this state-of-the-art facility.

We’re committed to providing the best care and support to people in Sunderland and beyond who are experiencing life-limiting or terminal illnesses. We believe these people deserve more than just a place of comfort in their final years – they deserve love, respect and a space where their quality of life can actively be improved.

That’s the ultimate ethos of the St Benedict’s Hospice charity – to fund the staff, services and resource that allows us to provide this specialist care to patients and their loved ones

Giving our qualified staff the tools, time, knowledge and resources to deliver the highest level of specialist palliative care is at the heart of what the St Benedict’s Hospice charity does. We’ve been supporting local hospice services for nearly 20 years alongside the NHS, raising millions of pounds to support this essential service.

We couldn’t be prouder of our partnership of the NHS, which is unique in the region. By working together, we know we can use our individual specialisms to develop better ways of supporting local people during the most difficult times in their lives.

Our Sunderland roots are so important to us and our community. Our local Board of Trustees are Sunderland residents, and local people show the same dedication and passion to us as they do the football club – and we know the city is renowned as one of the fiercest and most passionate supporter bases in the country, so that gives you an indication of the passion within our community.

Trustee Board

The Trustee Board is made up of a group of volunteers from a range of professional backgrounds. They offer their expertise to develop the strategy and operational focus for St Benedict’s Hospice.

Our current Trustee Board is:

• Derek Moss, Chair
• Jan Bray, Vice-Chair
• Sharad Trivedy
• Dr Martin Walker
• Roger Collings
• Marie Bainbridge
• Steve Foster
• Chris Parry
• Maureen Wren

Are you interested in becoming a trustee? Please email us to find out more: fundraising@stbenedicts.co.uk